Hunger
by Redtailedfox
Summary: Two girls, the human Molly and the Moroi Delilah, use a Strigoi to help them in their plot to destory both the Strigoi and the Moroi.
1. Chapter 1

"Do you have it, Molly?" Delilah asked me in a soft whisper. The dark shadows gave her pale face a ghostly cast, and her blue eyes glittered like ice in the low light. Her long, dark hair blended in with the shadows, and her expression was unreadable.

"Of course I have it," I snapped, before I remembered to lower my voice. "I mean," I whispered, "You know I do."

"Show it to me," she demanded. I glared, and she added a "Please" in a grudging tone.

I shrugged, and removed the smooth, flat stone from my pocket. She breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief, and took it from my hand, rubbing it gently.

Another sigh, this one an almost aroused moan. "Oh, yes," she hissed, "This is what we need. I can feel its magic… pulsing inside…." She continued to murmur to herself, and I saw her hand drift down slightly, before she jumped back into reality, and handed me back the stone without another word.

I placed it in my pocket.

"Give it back to me when I call for it," she reminded me, then quickly covered my mouth at the sound of light footsteps approaching, although I hadn't been the one talking.

The Strigoi came into focus, its garnet eyes shining boldly through the night. It was young, and male, probably no older than me or Delilah when it had been turned. It was pretty enough, for a freakish monster, with almost feminine features and lean limbs. It paused, and sniffed the air, and then froze, turning slowly towards where we were hiding out. Its eyes narrowed, and it stalked closer.

"Now!" Delilah yelled, abandoning our former idea of sneaking up on the monster. No subtly…. We both burst from behind the bush, jumping out at the Strigoi.

Its face was an amusing mix of comical shock and incredulity. Human though I was, I was still far stronger then my Moroi friend, and she allowed me the harder job, that of keeping the Strigoi still while she worked her magic.

Surprise dulled the Strigoi's reflexes, and I used the opportunity to grab him from the side and twist his arms behind his back. I kicked the backs of his knees, and he crumpled to the ground, a fearsome snarl of rage exploding from his throat. I jumped on his back, and quickly tossed the magic-infused rock to Delilah, who pressed the side of it against the Strigoi's neck.

He cried out in both pain and anger as if the stone was made of charmed silver. I rolled off of him as his limbs started to jerk uncontrollably, lashing out at random. Finally, after a few minutes his seizure-like movements ended, and Delilah removed the stone. Where it had once rested on his neck, a burned in rune now sat.

Delilah and I shared a grin. "Good job holding him down," she told me.

"Excellent job with the magic," I congratulated. I stood up and dusted off my pants, which were, unfortunately, ruined. I held out my hand, and Delilah grabbed it, pulling herself into a standing position. She placed the stone in her jacket, patting it slightly, as if making sure it hadn't fallen out in the past two seconds she had put it there.

We both glanced down at the Strigoi. Who wasn't there anymore.

I swore, and spun around, looking frantically for the Strigoi.

"Right here," he growled in a menacing purr, and I whirled, finding his arms wrapped around Delilah, preventing her from moving away, his fangs pressing lightly against the delicate skin of her neck. "Tell me what you did," he said, "Or I will color your pretty little Moroi friend in shades of scarlet."

I snickered. "Go ahead and try," I offered, "Better yet, aim straight for the jugular."

He grinned with delight, skinning his lips back, and then- nothing.

His eyes widened in alarm, but his fangs would not move closer. He jerked his head up and stared at me in horror. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Delilah shoved his arms aside and frowned at me; perhaps resentful of the way I had suggested he kill her. "What _I_ did, you mean," she said, crossing her arms against her chest.

The Strigoi snarled, and she ground her teeth. "The stone currently in my possession," she lifted the stone from her jacket pocket and flipped it around between her fingers, "Was an ancient Moroi artifact of great power." She shot me a half-smile, "We stole it from a human museum." Her smile widened, and her eyes glazed slightly, before she returned to her explanation, "It was charmed centuries ago. Any Moroi who places it against the skin of a Strigoi will gain power over that Strigoi. Any living creature whose blood touches the stone before the spell is initiated, they will not be able to hurt."

The Strigoi's eyes suddenly lit up with a malevolent glow. "I can still hurt her," he said, nodding to me.

"Actually you can't," Delilah said wearily, "We used her blood on the stone, too. Are you even listening?"

The Strigoi bared his teeth in a futile gesture of frustration.

"So," Delilah continued, "As the Moroi who initiated the spell, I now have control over you." She gave an evil leer, "You're going to protect us on our journey, Strigoi," she commanded, "Even when it means putting your own life on the line."

The Strigoi's eyes blazed, and he screamed a long list of curse words into the sky.

I walked up and patted him on the shoulder, and if looks could kill… well.

"What is this mission?" he asked between gritted teeth.

"That's the spirit!" I said cheerfully, and nodded at Delilah.

"Two missions," she corrected, "One. We infiltrated the Strigoi organization that has been growing in this region. And two…." She bared her teeth in a feral grin. "We take down the Moroi government."

The Strigoi actually smiled. "That last part seems fun."


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright," Delilah barked, gesturing impatiently to the Strigoi, "Start driving."

He shot her a death-glare, but nonetheless yanked open the door and settled himself into the seat. "Keys."

Delilah tosses him them, and he started the car. "Get in before I leave you behind," he warned, and Delilah pushed me into the passenger seat while she settled, blissfully alone, in the back. The Strigoi took off like a NASCAR driver down the road, the hairpin turns and sinfully fast pace reminding me of a roller coaster.

"Why am I doing this, exactly?" he asked, and I shrugged, glancing at Delilah for an explanation.

"The Moroi and Alchemists might know my face," she admitted, "And even though the human school Molly attended included Drivers education as part of their curriculum, she never took the final test. She's a reckless driver."

"Any better than him?" I asked, and on cue, the Strigoi spun around in a right angle, leaving my stomach behind.

"Good point," she conceded.

"Please slow down," I begged, and the Strigoi smirked, pressing down further on the gas. I covered my eyes and pretended I was safe and sound in my old, human life.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" the Strigoi asked, and it took me a minute to realize he was talking to me. I swallowed as he made yet another sharp turn, and then answered.

"For fun, mostly. And a Strigoi attack in my hometown sort of left me nowhere else to go."

"Ah, your family," the Strigoi said fondly, "They tasted like chicken." I gave a small smile and he eyed me. "Yummy chicken."

"Actually," I said in amusement, "My family didn't die in the Strigoi attack. Last I heard they were still alive."

He shrugged, and then perked up. "I see why you might want to destroy some Strigoi," he said, "And your Moroi friend… well… it's a little rare to see a Moroi willing to fight, but they certainly wouldn't mind seeing us killed."

"And?"

He snarled at annoyance at my interruption. "And how do the Moroi fit in their? Why do you want them gone too?"

"Those old fools have had their time," Delilah growled from the back seat, a contrasting expression of cold pleasure on her face, "They've managed to put a fresh, young face on themselves with the Dragomir Queen, but that can only slow their inevitable collapse." She fell silent.

"Whatever," the Strigoi sighed, "Just tell me that I can eat some dhampirs and Moroi."

"If things go my way," Delilah said, "I'll bring you the _queen_."

The Strigoi's lips pulled back into an icy grin. "Lovely."

"That's disgusting," I muttered, and the Strigoi smiled indulgingly at me. Speaking of, 'the Strigoi' was a bit… impersonal. "Hey," I started, "What's your name, anyway?"

The Strigoi grinned tauntingly, and refused to answer.

"Tell her," Delilah ordered, and he groaned.

"James."

"James?" I snickered, "Very… dangerous-sounding, James." He growled lowly. "When were you made, anyway, the Dark Ages?"

"Two years ago, actually." He frowned, "If I was centuries old, you wouldn't have been able to pull that damn stunt earlier. I would have torn you apart."

"Take a right," Delilah told him blankly, and he jerked on the steering wheel, pulling into the highway.

After another hour of mostly silent driving, James twisted his head around to look at Delilah.

"I'm starving," he said, his eyes flickering like tarnished rubies.

She sighed, and we both shared a long look. Finally she shrugged. "Alright," she said unhappily, "Turn off the road at the next gas station or strip mall."

The car shot forward, and within seconds we arrived at a huge, warehouse like store, its lights still blasting out into the night, a slow trickle of customers flowing in and out. James turned, and skidded to an eager halt, jumping out without bothering to shut off the car engine. I unbuckled and did it for him, opening the door and stepping out beside him. Delilah approached. "Take anyone."

James smiled cruelly, and waited like a patient animal on the hunt until a slim woman walked up to the car near ours.

James turned to me. "Call her over," he said, and I nodded.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" I asked, raising my voice and waving her over.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yeah!" I said, "Do you think you could give me and my brother some directions? We seem to have gotten rather lost."

She walked over slowly. "Well, I don't really know this area, but if you can tell me what it is-"

As soon as she was within grabbing distance, James did just that, yanking her towards him, and covering her mouth before she could scream. A muffled sound came from between his fingers, and he grinned down at her, baring his fangs and lashing out, sinking his teeth into her throat.

A gasp of pain, and then ecstatic pleasure. Blood spurted out over her neck, and James drained her dry, dropping her only when she was pale and still.

"Is she dead?" Delilah asked.

James wiped blood from around his mouth. "Yeah."

She shrugged.


End file.
